By James Leaver, Founder and CEO, Multilocal
The Trade Desk’s recent acquisition of Sincera is not merely another transaction in the programmatic space; it’s a resounding endorsement of the growing significance of curation. Alongside Experian’s purchase of Audigent, this move underscores a major shift – curation is no longer just a buzzword; it’s the obvious way of addressing the programmatic industry’s most pressing challenges.
Sincera’s aggregated data signals promise to bring greater transparency and insight to The Trade Desk’s media buys, bolstering confidence in the open marketplace. While this approach validates the critical role of media quality and supply-side intelligence, it also highlights a larger trend.
The evolution of curation: From buzzword to backbone
For years, “curation” was a term tossed around in industry panels and thought leadership pieces; often dismissed as a concept too abstract to take root. Yet in reality, the groundwork has been put in to evolve curation from an emerging idea to a practical, indispensable solution.
This shift is fuelled by mounting inefficiencies in the programmatic ecosystem. Advertisers have long grappled with “spray and pray” approaches, where vast sums of money are spent on poorly targeted impressions. According to research from the ANA, only 36% of media spend reaches brand-safe, non-MFA publishers, with significant funds lost along the supply chain. Meanwhile, publishers face diminishing returns, often forced to compete on price rather than quality.
Curation changes this dynamic. By consolidating the supply path and integrating premium inventory with robust, holistic data signals, it enables advertisers to target audiences with precision while giving publishers the tools to better monetise their inventory. In a cookieless, privacy-first world, this level of control is no longer optional – it’s essential.
Shifting data to the supply side: A path to transparency
One of the most transformative aspects of curation is its ability to shift data intelligence to the supply side. Historically, audience insights were the domain of the demand side, leaving publishers at a disadvantage when it came to understanding and monetising their audiences. By flipping this model, curation empowers media owners with actionable insights, enabling them to deliver high-value, targeted inventory directly to advertisers.
This shift is not just about efficiency; it’s about rebuilding trust. The open marketplace has been plagued by opacity, with buyers questioning where their money is going and whether it’s yielding meaningful results. Curation’s transparency creates a feedback loop, where both sides can see the value being created. Advertisers gain confidence that their investments are driving real outcomes, while publishers can command higher CPMs for their quality inventory. This mutually beneficial relationship is why curation is no longer just a tactical advantage but a strategic imperative.
This shift is already driving significant budget reallocation, with ANA reporting an 18% point shift from the open marketplace (OMP) to private marketplace (PMP) deals year on year. As more brands prioritise curated deals, we can expect this trend to accelerate, reinforcing curation as the dominant strategy in programmatic media.
The road ahead: Curation as the solution to media quality
As the programmatic landscape continues to mature, curation will only grow in importance. With innovations like quality indexes and proprietary solutions from adtech companies – often pulling data from diverse sources, including first-party, third-party, contextual, and search intent – the industry is moving toward a future where curated marketplaces are the norm rather than the exception.
But the journey is far from over. The next frontier for curation lies in its ability to adapt and scale. Real-time optimisation, powered by advanced algorithms, will enable curated campaigns to be even more dynamic, responding to shifting audience behaviours and market conditions. Additionally, sustainability will take centre stage, with curated deals playing a pivotal role in reducing the carbon footprint of digital advertising by eliminating unnecessary bids and impressions.
However, while technology-driven signals are essential for identifying quality inventory, human evaluation remains a critical component of assessing website quality. Factors such as emotional resonance, contextual alignment, and nuanced editorial value often escape automated processes but play a significant role in ensuring campaign effectiveness. The ability to blend technological insights with human judgment is an increasingly important differentiator as advertisers seek to strike the right balance between precision and relevance.
At its core, curation is about reclaiming control in a chaotic ecosystem. It’s a reminder that programmatic doesn’t have to be synonymous with inefficiency or waste. Crucially, it levels the playing field, creating a fairer environment where both advertisers and publishers can achieve incremental value. Advertisers benefit from higher-performing audiences and improved outcomes, while publishers unlock greater revenue potential by demonstrating the true worth of their inventory. By bringing clarity, transparency, and precision to the supply chain, curation offers a way to make digital advertising not just better but truly transformative.
The Trade Desk’s acquisition of Sincera is a bold move, but it’s also a sign of the times. As we look ahead to the rest of 2025 and beyond, one thing is clear: the era of curation has arrived, and its impact will be felt across every corner of the advertising industry.
